Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:8
سُورَةُ الوَاقِعَةِ · Meccan · Verse 8 of 96
فَأَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَيْمَنَةِ مَآ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَيْمَنَةِ
Translation
Those on the Right––what people they are!
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'The companions of the right, what are the companions of the right!' al-Saadi and Ibn Ashur note the expression of wonder built into the phrasing, 'ma ashab al-maymana', a rhetorical marvelling at their happy state, the people of the right hand, the saved. Ask yourself: the verse pauses to marvel at a whole class of ordinary saved believers, not the elite, just those who ended up on the right. There is encouragement in that: the goal is not only the impossibly high rank but simply, gratefully, to be among the people of the right. Which side am I actually building toward with my days? And do I take enough hope from the fact that a whole vast, celebrated company is made of people who were not spiritual giants, only faithful enough to end up on the right?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Ashur, al-Biqa'i.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:8 is discussed in 2 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:8 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.